Fleming resident hopeful cemetery can be cleaned up

Fleming, NY -- It's been 10 months since the Fleming town board decided to clean up historic Galpin Hill Cemetery.

But Terry Decker, whose property abuts the cemetery, said nothing has yet been done.

Decker went to the Fleming town board a number of times last summer seeking help in cleaning up the cemetery, which is one of the oldest in the county and holds the last resting spots of Civil War and Revolutionary War soldiers.

The cemetery is overgrown with ferns, ivy, trees and clutter, and it has become a favorite spot for riders of all-terrain vehicles. Spider webs are draped between limbs and leaves.

One of the primary problems with cleaning the place is access. Last year, then-town Supervisor James Young said he didn't know who owned the cemetery and if there was a right-of-way to get to it.

The cemetery, which lies between Forest Hill Drive and Sand Beach Road, has no roads leading to it. It is surrounded by residences.

But a new piece of paperwork has surfaced that could lead to something being done to clean the cemetery, Decker said.